On 12 February 2021, the Department published the Reform of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (Consultation RIS.) The Consultation RIS includes regulatory and non-regulatory reform options for 16 areas of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (Transport Standards).

The Consultation RIS was open for public feedback until 23 April 2021.

The full Consultation RIS and a summary are available here:

• Reform of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport: Consultation Regulation Impact Statement DOCX: 1512 KB PDF: 1848 KB 
• Consultation Regulation Impact Statement Summary DOCX: 112 KB PDF: 198 KB  Click here to view translations and other formats

The Department sought public feedback on whether the proposed reform options will improve public transport accessibility for people with disability and whether they will enhance the public transport experience for all Australians.

Ways to contribute

The public consultation period for the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement closed on April 23 2021. There were a number of ways for people to have their say and provide input, including:

• Sending feedback via email to DisabilityTransport@infrastructure.gov.au or through a written submission to the Department
• Verbally through the Disability Standards feedback line on 02 6274 6188
• Completing a survey:
  • 5–10 minute survey on the accessibility of public transport
  • Survey for public transport users on the proposed reforms
  • Survey for operators and providers of public transport on the proposed reforms

Online Consultation Forums

The Department hosted 6 online consultation forums to support public participation. The forums were held over two weeks commencing 12 April 2021 and were professionally facilitated to ensure all participants were able to contribute their views.

16 Areas of Reform

The initial stage of the reform process has identified 16 areas of reform, based on consultation with the disability community, governments and the public transport industry.

A summary of the initial 16 areas of reform is available here DOCX: 135 KB PDF: 181 KB 

To find out more about any of our reform areas, download one of our fact sheets below:

1. Staff training and communication DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 166 KB 
2. Mobility aid safety DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 186 KB 
3. Priority seating DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 165 KB 
4. Allocated spaces in transit DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 165 KB 
5. Digital information screens DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 165 KB 
6. Lifts DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 170 KB 
7. Website accessibility DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 164 KB 
8. Communication during service disruption DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 166 KB 
9. Gangways DOCX: 380 KB PDF: 165 KB 
10. Assistance animal toileting facilities DOCX: 381 KB PDF: 166 KB 
11. Emergency egress DOCX: 380 KB PDF: 165 KB 
12. Fit for purpose accessway DOCX: 380 KB PDF: 166 KB 
13. Wayfinding DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 164 KB 
14. Tactile ground surface indicators DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 165 KB 
15. Passenger loading areas DOCX: 379 KB PDF: 186 KB 
16. Multiple formats of information DOCX: 381 KB PDF: 165 KB 

Consultation RIS Summary Translations and other formats

A summary of the Consultation RIS is available in easy English here:

• Easy English - Tell us what you think DOCX: 2123 KB PDF: 685 KB 
• Easy English - Public Transport for people with disability DOCX: 6445 KB PDF: 1735 KB 

A summary of the Consultation RIS is available in the following languages:

1. Arabic DOCX: 24 KB PDF: 155 KB 
2. Simplified Chinese DOCX: 24 KB PDF: 191 KB 
3. Traditional Chinese DOCX: 24 KB PDF: 204 KB 
4. Farsi DOCX: 25 KB PDF: 165 KB 
5. Greek DOCX: 30 KB PDF: 168 KB 
6. Italian DOCX: 29 KB PDF: 138 KB 
7. Khmer DOCX: 32 KB PDF: 181 KB 
8. Korean DOCX: 54 KB PDF: 260 KB 
9. Spanish DOCX: 27 KB PDF: 113 KB 
10. Vietnamese DOCX: 33 KB PDF: 242 KB 

The Department has sought to ensure all documents provided are accessible in pdf format. Should a document not meet a reader's accessibly needs please contact us at DisabilityTransport@infrastructure.gov.au.